Multilayer ceramic capacitor

ABSTRACT

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a ceramic body including a dielectric layer, a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween; and a first external electrode disposed on an exterior surface of the ceramic body and a second external electrode disposed on the exterior surface of the ceramic body, wherein the ceramic body includes an active portion, forming capacity, cover portions disposed on upper and lower portions of the active portion, and margin portions disposed on a side surface of the active portion, and wherein the dielectric layer, the cover portions, and the margin portions of the active portion include magnesium (Mg) having content of more than 0 mole, and less than or equal to 1.0 mole, relative to titanium (Ti) included in the dielectric layer, the cover portions and the margin portions of the active portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is the continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/156,694 filed on Oct. 10, 2018, which claims thebenefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0087283filed on Jul. 26, 2018 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a multilayer ceramic capacitor havingimproved product reliability.

BACKGROUND

In general, electronic parts using a ceramic material such as acapacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor or athermistor include a ceramic body formed of a ceramic material, aninternal electrode disposed inside the body, and an external electrodeprovided on the surface of the ceramic body to be connected to theinternal electrode.

Recently, owing to the miniaturization and multifunctionalization ofelectronic products, since there is also the tendency forminiaturization and high functionality in chip parts, a multilayerceramic capacitor is also required to have a small sized and highcapacity.

In particular, since a capacitance value in actual use conditions may beimportant, the DC-bias characteristics indicated as a capacitance valuesecured when the DC-bias is applied become an important consideration.

Also, since in the mobile phone market, the system is shifting fromexisting 4G to 5G networks, securing capacity under high frequency andlow electric field conditions is becoming a major issue.

Proper grain growth control of dielectric grains in the ceramic body ofthe multilayer ceramic capacitor is essential for securing DC-biascharacteristics and securing necessary capacitance under the highfrequency and low electric field conditions as described above.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a multilayer ceramiccapacitor having improved product reliability.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer ceramiccapacitor may include a ceramic body including a dielectric layer, afirst internal electrode and a second internal electrode arranged toface each other with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween, afirst surface and a second surface opposing each other, a third surfaceand a fourth surface connecting the first surface and the second surfacerespectively and opposing each other, and a fifth surface and a sixthsurface connecting the first surface through the fourth surface andopposing each other; and a first external electrode disposed on anexterior surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to thefirst internal electrode and a second external electrode disposed on theexterior surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to thesecond internal electrode, wherein the ceramic body includes an activeportion, forming capacity, including the first internal electrode andthe second internal electrode disposed to face each other with thedielectric layer interposed therebetween, and further includes coverportions disposed on upper and lower portions of the active portion andmargin portions disposed on side surfaces of the active portion, andwherein the dielectric layer, the cover portions, and the marginportions of the active portion each include magnesium (Mg) having acontent of more than 0 mole, and less than or equal to 1.0 mole,relative to a content of titanium (Ti) included in the dielectric layer,the cover portions and the margin portions of the active portion,respectively.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayerceramic capacitor may include a ceramic body including a dielectriclayer, a first internal electrode and a second internal electrodearranged to face each other with the dielectric layer interposedtherebetween; and a first external electrode disposed on an exteriorsurface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the firstinternal electrode and a second external electrode disposed on theexterior surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to thesecond internal electrode, wherein the ceramic body includes an activeportion, forming capacity, including the first internal electrode andthe second internal electrode disposed to face each other with thedielectric layer interposed therebetween, and further includes marginportions disposed on side surfaces of the active portion and upper andlower surfaces of the active portion, the margin portions being outerportions of the ceramic body which exclude the active portion, andwherein the dielectric layer and the margin portions of the activeportion each include magnesium (Mg) having a content of more than 0mole, and less than or equal to 1.0 mole, with respect to a content oftitanium (Ti) included in the dielectric layer and the margin portionsof the active portion, respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a multilayer ceramiccapacitor according to an exemplary embodiment in the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1according to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ of FIG. 1according to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments in the present disclosure will now bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a multilayer ceramiccapacitor 100 according to an exemplary embodiment in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure includesa ceramic body 110, a plurality of first and second internal electrodes121 and 122 disposed inside the ceramic body 110, and first and secondexternal electrodes 131 and 132 disposed on the external surface of theceramic body 110.

The ceramic body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2opposing each other and a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4connecting the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 respectively,and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 which are an upper surfaceand a lower surface respectively.

The first surface 1 and the second surface 2 may face each other in awidth direction of the ceramic body 110. The third surface 3 and thefourth surface 4 may be defined as surfaces opposing each other in alongitudinal direction. The fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 maybe defined as surfaces opposing each other in a thickness direction.

The shape of the ceramic body 110 is not particularly limited, but maybe a rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown.

The plurality of internal electrodes 121 and 122 disposed inside theceramic body 110 have one ends exposed to the third surface 3 or thefourth surface 4 of the ceramic body 110.

The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may have a pair of the firstinternal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 havingdifferent polarities.

One end of the first internal electrode 121 may be exposed to the thirdsurface 3. One end of the second internal electrode 122 may be exposedto the fourth surface 4.

The other ends of the first internal electrode 121 and the secondinternal electrode 122 are formed at regular intervals from the thirdsurface 3 or the fourth surface 4.

The first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed onthe third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 of the ceramic body 110 andelectrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes 121and 122.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, a rawmaterial forming a dielectric layer 111 is not particularly limited aslong as sufficient electrostatic capacitance is obtainable therewith.For example, the raw material may be barium titanate (BaTiO₃) powder.

As the material forming the dielectric layer 111, various ceramicadditives, organic solvents, plasticizers, binders, dispersants and thelike may be added to powder such as barium titanate (BaTiO₃) accordingto the purpose of the present disclosure.

The dielectric layer 111 may be in a sintered state such that boundariesbetween adjacent dielectric layers may be integrated may not confirmedwith the naked eye.

The length of the ceramic body 110 corresponds to a distance from thethird surface 3 to the fourth surface 4 of the ceramic body 110.

The length of the dielectric layer 111 forms the distance between thethird surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the ceramic body 110.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, thelength of the ceramic body 110 may be 400 to 1400 μm but is not limitedthereto. More specifically, the length of the ceramic body 110 may be400 to 800 μm, or 600 to 1400 μm.

The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be disposed on the dielectriclayer 111 and may be formed inside the ceramic body 110 with a singledielectric layer interposed therebetween by sintering.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first internal electrode 121 is disposed on thedielectric layer 111. The first internal electrode 121 is not formedentirely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the dielectriclayer 111. That is, one end of the first internal electrode 121 may beformed at a predetermined distance from the fourth surface 4 of theceramic body 110, and the other end of the first internal electrode 121may be formed up to the third surface 3 and exposed to the third surface3.

The end of the first internal electrode 121 exposed to the third surface3 of the ceramic body 110 is connected to the first external electrode131.

To the contrary of the first internal electrode 121, one end of thesecond internal electrode 122 is formed at a predetermined distance fromthe third surface 3 and the other end of the second internal electrode122 is exposed to the fourth surface 4 and is connected to the secondexternal electrode 132.

The material of forming the first and second internal electrodes 121 and122 is not particularly limited. For example, the first and secondinternal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by using a conductivepaste including one or more materials selected from the group consistingof silver (Ag), lead (Pb), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu).

The first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 may be electricallyconnected to the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122respectively to form capacitance. The second external electrode 132 maybe connected to the first external electrode 131 at a different electricpotential.

The multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment in the present disclosure includes an active portion Adisposed inside the ceramic body 110 and forming capacity including thefirst internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposedtherebetween, cover portions 114 and 115 disposed on upper and lowerportions of the active portion A respectively, and margin portions 112and 113 provided on the side surfaces of the active portion A.

The active portion A is as a portion contributing to capacity formationof the capacitor 100 and may be formed by repeatedly stacking theplurality of first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 with adielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

The upper cover portion 114 and the lower cover portion 115 may have thesame material and configuration as the dielectric layer 111 except thatthe upper cover portion 114 and the lower cover portion 115 do notinclude internal electrodes.

That is, the upper cover portion 114 and the lower cover portion 115 mayinclude a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO₃)based ceramic material.

The upper cover portion 114 and the lower cover portion 115 may beformed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectriclayers on the upper and lower surfaces of the active portion A in thevertical direction and may basically prevent damage of an internalelectrode by physical or chemical stress.

The margin portions 112 and 113 include the margin portion 112 disposedon the first surface 1 of the ceramic body 110 and the margin portion113 disposed on the second surface 2.

That is, the margin portions 112 and 113 may be disposed on both sidesof the ceramic body 110 in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the margin portions 112 and 113 mean regions betweenboth ends of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 and aninterface of the ceramic body 110 in a cross section of the ceramic body110 cut in the width-thickness (WT) direction.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, thedielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A include magnesium (Mg). Themagnesium (Mg) has content of more than 0 mole, and less than or equalto 1.0 mole, relative to titanium (Ti) included in each of thedielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A.

Recently, owing to the miniaturization and multi-functionalization ofelectronic products, since there is also the tendency of miniaturizationand high functionality of chip parts, a multilayer ceramic capacitor isalso required to have a small size and high capacity.

In particular, since a capacitance value in the actual use conditionbecomes important, the DC-bias characteristic indicated as a capacitancevalue secured when the DC-bias is applied becomes an importantcondition.

Also, since the system shifts from the existing 4G to 5G in a mobilephone market, securing capacity under high frequency and low electricfield conditions is becoming a major issue.

Proper grain growth control of dielectric grains in the ceramic body ofthe multilayer ceramic capacitor is essential for securing the DC-biascharacteristic and securing the necessary capacitance under the highfrequency and low electric field conditions as described above.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, thedielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115, and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A in the ceramic body 110 mayinclude magnesium (Mg) and in which the content of magnesium (Mg) iscontrolled, and thus the grain growth control of dielectric grains ineach region may be controlled, thereby securing the DC-biascharacteristic and securing the necessary capacitance under the highfrequency and low electric field conditions.

That is, according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure,for the effective grain growth control of dielectric grains of thedielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115, and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A in the ceramic body 110,all of the dielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and themargin portions 112 and 113 of the active portion A include magnesium(Mg).

In addition, in an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, thecontent of magnesium (Mg) included in the dielectric layer 111, thecover portions 114 and 115, and the margin portions 112 and 113 of theactive portion A may be controlled, thereby securing the DC-biascharacteristic and securing the necessary capacitance under the highfrequency and low electric field conditions.

The dielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A may include a mothermaterial main component including Ba and Ti.

The mother material main component includes a main component expressedas (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Ca)O₃, (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Zr)O₃, Ba(Ti,Zr)O₃, and (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Sn)O₃ which partially employ BaTiO₃ or Ca, Zr, Sn. The mothermaterial main component may be included in the form of powder.

The dielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and the marginportions 112 and 113 of the active portion A may include a firstsubcomponent including at least one of Mn, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, and Znas a subcomponent.

Also, the dielectric layer 111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and themargin portions 112 and 113 of the active portion A may further includea second subcomponent including at least one of Ba and Ca, a thirdsubcomponent including an oxide or carbonate containing Si, or a glasscompound including Si, a fourth subcomponent including at least one ofY, Dy, Ho, Er, Gd, Ce, Nd, Sm, La, Tb, Yb and Pr, and a fifthsubcomponent including Mg or Al.

The magnesium (Mg) included in the dielectric layer 111, the coverportions 114 and 115 and the margin portions 112 and 113 of the activeportion A has content of more than 0 mole, and less than or equal to 1.0mole, relative to titanium (Ti) included in each of the dielectric layer111, the cover portions 114 and 115 and the margin portions 112 and 113of the active portion A.

In general, magnesium (Mg) oxide is known to be added to barium titanateto control the grain growth of dielectric grains.

That is, it is known that when the content of magnesium (Mg) oxide addedto barium titanate is large, the grain growth of dielectric grains issuppressed, and when the amount of addition is small, abnormal graingrowth particles are generated.

However, the content of magnesium (Mg) that may effectively controlgrain growth of the dielectric grain is not particularly known.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, eachregion may include the content of magnesium (Mg) of more than 0 mole andless than or equal to 1.0 mole relative to titanium (Ti) as describedabove, thereby securing the DC-bias characteristic and securing thenecessary capacitance under the high frequency and low electric fieldconditions.

When the content of magnesium (Mg) is 0 mole relative to titanium (Ti)in each region, the dielectric grains in each region are excessivelygrown, and DC-bias characteristics may not be ensured, and it isdifficult to secure the necessary capacitance under the high frequencyand low electric field conditions.

Meanwhile, when the content of magnesium (Mg) exceeds 1.0 mole relativeto titanium (Ti) in each region, since the grain growth of thedielectric grains in each region may be excessively suppressed, it isdifficult to secure the necessary capacitance.

In particular, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to anexemplary embodiment in the present disclosure is an ultra small andhigh capacity product. The thickness of the dielectric layer 111 is 0.4μm or less and the thickness of the first and second internal electrodes121 and 122 is 0.4 μm or less, but the present disclosure is notnecessarily limited thereto.

Since the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment in the present disclosure is the an ultra small and highcapacity product, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 and thefirst and second inner electrodes 121 and 122 are relatively thincompared to the conventional product. In the case of a product to whichsuch a thin film dielectric layer and a thin internal electrode areapplied, the grain growth control of dielectric grains in each region ofa dielectric layer, a cover portion, and a margin portion of an activeportion is a very important issue for achieving the target capacitanceand improving product reliability.

That is, since the dielectric layer and the internal electrode includedin the conventional multilayer ceramic capacitor have a relativelygreater thickness than the dielectric layer and the internal electrodeincluded in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to an exemplaryembodiment in the present disclosure, adjusting the content of magnesium(Mg) for the grain growth control of dielectric grains in each region ofa dielectric layer, a cover portion, and a margin portion of an activeportion was not a major problem.

However, in a product to which the thin dielectric layer and internalelectrode are applied as in an exemplary embodiment in the presentdisclosure, the content of magnesium (Mg) included in each region of adielectric layer, a cover portion, and a margin portion of an activeportion needs to be adjusted for the grain growth control of dielectricgrains.

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, sinceeach region includes the content of magnesium (Mg) of more than 0 moleand less than or equal to 1.0 mole relative to titanium (Ti), even whenthe dielectric layer 111 and the first and second internal electrodes121 and 122 are thin films having the thickness of 0.4 μm or less, theDC-bias characteristic may be secured, and the necessary capacitanceunder the high frequency and low electric field conditions may besecured.

However, the thin film does not mean that the thicknesses of thedielectric layer 111 and the first and second internal electrodes 121and 122 are limited to 0.4 μm or less, but may be understood as havingthicknesses thinner than those of the conventional product.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1according to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II′ of FIG. 1according to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in a multilayer ceramic capacitor accordingto another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, the coverportions 114 and 115 are divided into first regions 114 a and 115 aadjacent to an outer surface of the ceramic body 110 and second regions114 b and 115 b adjacent to the outermost one of the first and secondinternal electrodes 121 and 122. Content of magnesium (Mg) included inthe first regions 114 a and 115 a and the second regions 114 b and 115 bmay be different.

According to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, thecover portions 114 and 115 in the ceramic body 110 are divided into tworegions having different compositions, and the content of magnesium (Mg)included in each region is different, and thus the denseness of thecover portions 114 and 115 may be enhanced, thereby improving themoisture resistance characteristic.

The content of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 114 a and115 a of the cover portions 114 and 115 may be greater than the contentof magnesium (Mg) included in the second regions 114 b and 115 b.

The first regions 114 a and 115 a of the cover portions 114 and 115 areregions adjacent to the outer surface of the ceramic body 110, and thecontent of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 114 a and 115 amay be adjusted to be greater than the content of magnesium (Mg)included in the second regions 114 b and 115 b of inside, and thus thedenseness of the first regions 114 a and 115 a of the cover portions 114and 115 may be enhanced, thereby improving the moisture resistancecharacteristic.

Meanwhile, the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the second regions114 b and 115 b of the cover portions 114 and 115 may be greater thanthe content of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 114 a and115 a.

The content of magnesium (Mg) included in the second regions 114 b and115 b of the cover portions 114 and 115 may be adjusted to be greaterthan the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 114 aand 115 a of outside, and thus the denseness of the second regions 114 band 115 b of the cover portions 114 and 115 may be enhanced, therebyimproving the moisture resistance characteristic.

In particular, the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the firstregions 114 a and 115 a of the cover portions 114 and 115 adjacent tothe outer surface of the ceramic body 110 may be reduced, and thusadhesion with the first external electrode 131 and the second externalelectrode 132 may be improved.

According to another exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, themargin portions 112 and 113 are divided into first regions 112 a and 113a adjacent to an outer surface of the ceramic body 110 and secondregions 112 b and 113 b adjacent to the first and second internalelectrodes 121 and 122, and the content of magnesium (Mg) included inthe first regions 112 a and 113 a and the second regions 112 b and 113 bmay be different.

The margin portions 112 and 113 inside the ceramic body 110 may bedivided into two regions having different compositions and the contentof magnesium (Mg) included in each region may be different, and thus thedenseness of the margin portions 112 and 113 may be enhanced, therebyimproving the moisture resistance characteristic.

The content of magnesium (Mg) included the first regions 112 a and 113 aof the margin portions 112 and 113 may be greater than the content ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the second regions 112 b and 113 b.

The first regions 112 a and 113 a of the margin portions 112 and 113 areregions adjacent to the outer surface of the ceramic body 110 and thecontent of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 112 a and 113 amay be adjusted to be greater than the content of magnesium (Mg)included in the second regions 112 b and 113 b of inside, and thus thedenseness of the first regions 112 a and 113 a of the margin portions112 and 113 may be enhanced, thereby improving the moisture resistancecharacteristic.

Meanwhile, the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the second regions112 b and 113 b of the margin portions 112 and 113 may be greater thanthe content of magnesium (Mg) included in the first regions 112 a and113 a.

The content of magnesium (Mg) included in the second regions 112 b and113 b of the margin portions 112 and 113 may be adjusted to be greaterthan the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the outside first regions112 a and 113 a of the margin portions 112 and 113, and thus thedenseness of the second regions 112 b and 113 b of the margin portions112 and 113 may be enhanced, thereby improving the moisture resistancecharacteristic.

In particular, the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the firstregions 112 a and 113 a of the margin portions 112 and 113 adjacent tothe outer surface of the ceramic body 110 may be reduced, and thusadhesion with the first external electrode 131 and the second externalelectrode 132 may be improved.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing multilayer ceramic electronicparts according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosurewill be described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The method of manufacturing the multilayer ceramic electronic partsaccording to the exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure mayfirstly apply and dry a slurry formed of powder such as barium titanate(BaTiO₃) or the like onto a carrier film to prepare a plurality ofceramic green sheets, thereby forming a dielectric layer.

The ceramic green sheets may be manufactured by mixing ceramic powder, abinder, and a solvent to prepare the slurry as sheets having a thicknessof several micrometers by using a doctor blade method.

The ceramic powder includes a mother material main component expressedas (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Ca)O₃, (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Zr)O₃, Ba(Ti,Zr)O₃, and (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Sn)O₃ which partially employ BaTiO₃ or Ca, Zr, Sn. The mothermaterial main component may be included in the form of powder.

The ceramic powder may include magnesium (Mg) as a subcomponent. Contentof magnesium (Mg) is more than 0 mole and less than or equal to 1.0 molerelative to titanium (Ti).

Next, an internal electrode conductive paste including nickel powderhaving an average nickel particle size of 0.1 to 0.2 μm and 40 to 50parts by weight may be provided.

The internal electrode conductive paste is applied on the green sheetsby using a screen printing method to form internal electrodes, and thegreen sheets having internal electrode patterns arranged thereon arestacked to form the ceramic body 110.

Next, external electrodes including a conductive metal and glass may bedisposed on the outside of the ceramic body 110.

The conductive metal is not particularly limited, but may be at leastone selected from the group consisting of, for example, copper (Cu),silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and alloys thereof.

The glass is not particularly limited, and a material having the samecomposition as glass used for manufacturing an external electrode of ageneral multilayer ceramic capacitor may be used.

The external electrodes may be disposed on an external surface of theceramic body 110 and electrically connected to the first and secondinternal electrodes, respectively.

A plating layer may further be formed on the external electrodes.

The plating layer is not particularly limited, but may include at leastone selected from the group consisting of, for example, nickel (Ni), tin(Sn), and alloys thereof.

As set forth above, according to the exemplary embodiment in the presentdisclosure, a dielectric layer, cover portions, and margin portions ofan active portion in a ceramic body may include magnesium (Mg), andcontent of magnesium (Mg) may be adjusted, and thus grain growth controlof dielectric grains may be controlled, thereby securing DC-biascharacteristics, and securing the necessary capacitance under highfrequency and low electric field conditions.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications andvariations could be made without departing from the scope in the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising: aceramic body including a dielectric layer, a first internal electrodeand a second internal electrode arranged to face each other with thedielectric layer interposed therebetween, a first surface and a secondsurface opposing each other, a third surface and a fourth surfaceconnecting the first surface and the second surface respectively andopposing each other, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connectingthe first surface through fourth surface and opposing each other; and afirst external electrode disposed on an exterior surface of the ceramicbody and electrically connected to the first internal electrode and asecond external electrode disposed on the exterior surface of theceramic body and electrically connected to the second internalelectrode, wherein the ceramic body includes an active portion, formingcapacity, including the first internal electrode and the second internalelectrode disposed to face each other with the dielectric layerinterposed therebetween, and further includes margin portions disposedon side surfaces of the active portion and cover portions disposed onupper and lower portions of the active portion and margin portions, andwherein the dielectric layer, the cover portions, and the marginportions of the active portion each include magnesium (Mg) having acontent of more than 0 mole, and less than or equal to 1.0 mole,relative to a content of titanium (Ti) included in the dielectric layer,the cover portions and the margin portions of the active portion,respectively.
 2. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1, wherein athickness of the dielectric layer is 0.4 μm or less and a thickness ofthe first internal electrode and the second internal electrode is 0.4 μmor less.
 3. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1, wherein each ofthe cover portions is divided into a first region adjacent to an outersurface of the ceramic body and a second region adjacent to an outermostone of the first and second internal electrodes, and contents ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the first region and the second region of thecover portions differ from each other.
 4. The multilayer ceramiccapacitor of claim 3, wherein the content of magnesium (Mg) included inthe first region of the cover portions is greater than the content ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the second region.
 5. The multilayer ceramiccapacitor of claim 3, wherein the content of magnesium (Mg) included inthe second region of the cover portions is greater than the content ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the first region.
 6. The multilayer ceramiccapacitor of claim 1, wherein each of the margin portions is dividedinto a first region adjacent to an outer surface of the ceramic body anda second region adjacent to the first and second internal electrodes,and contents of magnesium (Mg) included in the first region and thesecond region of the margin portions differ from each other.
 7. Themultilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 6, wherein the content ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the first region of the margin portions isgreater than the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the secondregion.
 8. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 6, wherein thecontent of magnesium (Mg) included in the second region of the marginportions is greater than the content of magnesium (Mg) included in thefirst region.
 9. A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising: a ceramicbody including a dielectric layer, a first internal electrode and asecond internal electrode arranged to face each other with thedielectric layer interposed therebetween; and a first external electrodedisposed on an exterior surface of the ceramic body and electricallyconnected to the first internal electrode and a second externalelectrode disposed on the exterior surface of the ceramic body andelectrically connected to the second internal electrode, wherein theceramic body includes an active portion, forming capacity, including thefirst internal electrode and the second internal electrode disposed toface each other with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween, andmargin portions including a first portion disposed on side surfaces ofthe active portion and a second portion disposed on upper and lowersurfaces of the active portion, the margin portions being outer portionsof the ceramic body which exclude the active portion, and wherein thedielectric layer and the margin portions of the active portion eachinclude magnesium (Mg) having a content of more than 0 mole, and lessthan or equal to 1.0 mole, with respect to a content of titanium (Ti)included in the dielectric layer and the margin portions of the activeportion, respectively.
 10. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 9,wherein a thickness of the dielectric layer is 0.4 μm or less and athickness of the first internal electrode and the second internalelectrode is 0.4 μm or less.
 11. The multilayer ceramic capacitor ofclaim 9, wherein each of the margin portions is divided into a firstregion adjacent to an outer surface of the ceramic body and a secondregion adjacent to the first and second internal electrodes, andcontents of magnesium (Mg) included in the first region and the secondregion of the margin portions differ from each other.
 12. The multilayerceramic capacitor of claim 11, wherein the content of magnesium (Mg)included in the first region of the margin portions is greater than thecontent of magnesium (Mg) included in the second region.
 13. Themultilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 11, wherein the content ofmagnesium (Mg) included in the second region of the margin portions isgreater than the content of magnesium (Mg) included in the first region.